Oklahoma Visual Arts

Fellowships & Student Awards of Excellence

The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition supports Oklahoma’s professional visual artists. These awards are intended to recognize past achievement and future promise and can be used as the artist’s needs require. Applications are open March 1st! The deadline to apply is April 30th, 11:59pm.

Each year, the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition gives two awards of $5,000 each to individual artists. Additionally, two $500 Student Awards of Excellence are given. These awards are intended to reward qualified artists with outstanding vision and are chosen by a guest curator from applications submitted by the artists.

This years guest curator is Mark Scala, the chief curator at the First Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, TN. His major exhibitions have focused on the subject of human vulnerability, complexity, and transformation in art from around the world.

FELLOWSHIP: The Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition accepts Fellowship applications from artists who are legal residents of Oklahoma, not students of a degree seeking program in art, design, film or related, and older than 21 years of age. Work samples submitted may not have been completed while under artistic instruction. Recipients are expected to remain Oklahoma residents for the full fellowship year. Previous recipients of OVAC’s Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship are eligible three years after their award.

STUDENT AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE: Graduate or undergraduate students in Oklahoma in a degree seeking program of art, design, film, or related, of any age may apply in the Student Awards of Excellence category. Past Student Award of Excellence recipients are not eligible.